United States
Environmental
Protection
Agency
Office of
Research and
Development
Washington DC 20460
EPA/600/F-95/009
Air and Energy
Engineering
Research Laboratory
Research Triangle Park NC 27711
May 1995
Control Technology Center
o\o9V
pro
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r°ved Technologyfor Environmental Protection
Introduction
The Control Technology Center (CTC) is the U S En
vironmenta. Protection Agency's (EPA's) primary air po^u-
tion emissions reduction assistance program The CTC
provides technical assistance, technology tlsfe!• S
rnation, and technical expertise to the various federal, state
and local government agencies and to the Nation's busi-
ness community, it also responds to technical assistance
ttS 7e!ra f°reign g°vernments and organizations. In
the 7 years since its formation, the CTC has become one
widely recognized and respected technical
* programs in EPA and the federal government.
Background
In June 1985, EPA announced a strategy to reduce
pubhc exposure to toxic air pollutants in the'ambient air
The sjategy called for state and local authorities to take
on additional regulatory responsibilities, with EPA provid
ing technical assistance to support their efforts As a re
suit of the shift in responsibility, the EPA's Air and Enerav
Engineering Research Laboratory (AEERL) and the C?
•ce of A,r Quality Planning and Standards (OAQPS) de-
fe aSfa±aTlemented ^ i™^6 ^nologyTranl
erand assistance program-the Control Technology Cen-
cal' JsslstenceT °ri9ina"y established to P^vide techni-
(VOC) emissions control issues to state and'loc^over^
1991 tofnSfth H°wev®r'the P^am was expanded in
1991 to fulfill the mandates of the 1990 Clean Air Act
Amendments (CAAAs). Titles III and V of the CAAAs
mandated that the Agency provide technical assfstance to
inn ™ ?nf b"siness community in all areas of air pollu-
ten control. Fortunately, the CTC had the nucleus of a
cPZrasTtir;lfble t0 Pr°Vide technical assista^e °ha3
could satisfy the requirements of the mandate The CTC
program was officially expanded in 1991 to provide tech
n-cal assistance and expertise to both government and
piwate clients. Control technology assistance can be pro
vided on a broad range of topics including criteria and
non-criteria pollutants, hazardous air pollutant emissions
pollution prevention, process engineering and air pollu'
ton control engineering. Both AEERL and OAQPS con-
duct programs in these areas and have the technical and
human resources to respond to questions about these top
The Problem
Government agencies and the business community
have a constant need for technical and regulatory infor-
mation to understand and address the constan%^hanq.
•ng envronmental regulatory and technology needs w"th-
out an immediate source of technical information and ex-
pertise ,t is difficult for the various state regSing agen-
cies to develop viable regulations to achieve envir«.
tal goals on the schedules mandated by the CAAAs The
business community also requires similar technical and
regulatory information to enable it to develop emissions
Se^^J",00"1^18"09 With P°IIUti°" contr°^-
EPA establish a program to provide technical assistance*
to the newly established state small business
assistance agencies and to businesses that
the requirements of the CAAAs.
The U.S. industrial base is made up of numerous and
diverse installations and processes. The vast majority of
fndmSof'ai Ins!allations in ^e United States require some
form of pollution abatement. Their diversity in size oro-
cesse,jand discharge makes it necessary for them to u°e
a broad range of pollution abatement strategies and tech
n cal solutions to meet the requirements of the CAAAs
staff andex6 Sma"er °Perati°ns do not nave the technical
u0n^hoaltemat!VeS f°r their unique P°(lution ProblemT
Until the new state small business assistance programs
become fully operational, there will be a continuing void in
technology transfer information applicable to air pollution
th°entShnino?lly> many °f the various state agencies lack
me tecnnicai resources to develop viable regulations for
the broad range of industrial operations and processes
The CTC Program
Cn CTC"1erges the resources and expertise of the
sponsoring offices into a program with the capablBhrto
respond to most technical assistance requests The
' te°h
h "S09 ce
a broad range of technical and regulatory assis-
tance to respond to most assistance requests that mTght
be received from its clients. The CTC program is sTuc
tured to respond by one of the following three methods'
• Provides immediate responses to relatively simple
technical and regulatory questions by means
Provides engineering assistance at the client's facility
for those problems requiring a detailed analysis of the
pollution problem to resolve technical assistance
requests
96neral teChni°al guidance studies initiated
the apparent prevalence of technical questions
on a given pollution topic
Printed on Recycled Paper
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The scope of the CTC services gives it a unique capability
to address a broad range of emissions control regulatory
and technical issues.
The CTC takes full advantage of the electronic tech-
nology transfer media via the CTC Bulletin Board System
fRBSI The CTC BBS provides direct technical consulta-
ion using its engineering staff or technical staffers from
he sponsoring oftices. The CTC also operates and mam-
a?nShrReasonablyAchievableControlTechnology/Best
wStib^T*^
Rate (RACT/BACT/LAER) Clearinghouse Information
System be ter known as the BACT/LAER Information
Ivs tern (BUS) bulletin board. The BUS assists pollution
con raTpersonnel in making technology determinations
The database contains more than 2,800 determ.nat.ons
from 49 state and three territorial agencies. These sys-
tem^ Provide the CTC with the ability to rece,ve or respond
loTechnical requests 24 hours per day. They provide fo
echnicaTinformation transfer, including the text of
Durm fis-
completed. In fiscal year 1993, more than 7,500 individual
copies of these documents and software systems were
provided to CTC clientele.
within the state programs.
Program Impact
During the 7 years of the CTC's existence it has be-
come one of the most recognized and author.tat.ve of EPAs
technology assistance programs. The program has been
featured in numerous technical and trade journals as an
Soritalive source of environmental technology transfer
and assistance information and data. Each year sincerls
formation it has increased the quantity as well as the qual-
CTC-developea repons auu oullv""'VJr"r""«niatorThnl itw rrf ^rvices provided to the public. In 1993, the numoer
SP* CTC——ded to more tten
mor« than 20.000 times. JU.uuu.
echnicainformation transfer, ncung
CTC-developed reports and software systems. Durmg fis-
cal year 1993, the CTC bulletin board and assoc.ated bul-
Sin boards under the um
more than 20,000 times.
The CTC's impact can be measured, in part by the
continued expansion of its client base and use of itsser-
viceTand technical products. As indicated by 'the nurnbw
the dramatic increase in the scope of support provded by
the CTC to the public.
The CTC operates and maintains the BLIS bulletin board for
assistance with technology determinations.
Unique aspects of the CTC program are its ability
to conduct technical assistance and guidance.studies; .n
heTboratory and at the clients facility and to develop
softwire S. Although these studies are typically out-
swTthe traditional research areas, they address issues
rStaSry issues using available data and information.
myu . ? . ,_.,_i * ~t«,« rrrr. mnrs than 100 tech-
Q Non-government
• Government
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Technology for Environmental Protection
Accomplishments/Impacts
The CTC is unique among technology assistance pro-
grams in its ability to conduct on-site technical and re-
search support for its clients. Many technical issues im-
pacting the development of regulatory programs do not
fall within the traditional research and development plans
of the Agency. Thus, the CTC program is designed to
conduct non-traditional technical and research studies that
support state and local agencies and businesses in de-
veloping regulatory and compliance agendas and pollu-
tion control strategies. Studies are requested and defined
by the various state and local government agencies Oth-
ers are identified by CTC management and are based on
Sr?!;!aSJftanCG requests on sPecific toPics during
HOTLINE calls and other technical assistance communi-
cations. Since the initiation of the CTC in 1987 it has
completed more than 100 technical studies to support its
technical assistance mandate. Many of these studies and
reports have become authoritative sources in the subject
areas. Descriptions of some these studies follow.
In addition to technical studies, the CTC has devel-
oped software systems that are internationally recognized
analytical or decision tools. They are being used by
academia; by state, local, and foreign government agen-
cies to assist in regulatory and compliance programs- and
by industry to develop air pollution compliance strategies.
Asphalt Emissions
The CTC completed emissions studies to character-
ize the emissions from asphalt heating processes in an-
ticipation of future state request of information on these
sources These studies have become nationally recog-
nized references on the nature and characteristics of emis-
sions from asphalt melting processes.
Styrene Emissions
The CTC identifies and evaluates new technology
transfer opportunities that have the potential to solve emis-
sions problems such as the polymer adsorption technol-
ogy for styrene emissions. The results of these studies
have been used by various agencies to promote options
tor compliance with styrene regulatory programs.
Hazardous Air Pollutant Program
The Hazardous Air Pollutant Program (HAP-PRO) soft-
ware system was developed under the sponsorship of the
OTC to assist government agency permit engineers and
CTC asphalt research.
CTC evaluation of polymer adsorption technology for styren
emissions control. y
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Protection
industry operators in defining cost-effective and efficient
air pollution control requirements and strategies. The soft-
ware calculates the capital and operating costsfor six vola-
tileorganic compound (VOC) and three particulate con-
trol systems. The software and its companion document,
he HAP Manual, have been distributed to state agencies
where it is the primary analytical tool for permit appl.ca-
tion evaluation.
Landfill Air Emissions Estimation
Model Program
The Landfill Air Emissions Estimation Model is a com-
puter program for state and local agencies to use as a
foolforesLating landfill emissions. Itwill also assist land-
Hl owners and operators in responding to the requ.remen, s
resulting from new federal regulations for municipal solid
waste landfills. The system is based on a frst-order de
^equation that uses site-specific characteristics such
as the landfill's age, the volume of refuse in place, and the
Sal capacily of t9he site. Based on the site-specific char-
acteristics provided to the system, it is capable of estimat-
ing the gas generation rate of the site.
Solvent Alternatives Guide
The SAGE program distibuted by the CTC provides
recommendations to industry for the elimination of ozone
depleting solvents used in surface cleaning. More than
2 000 copies of the SAGE system have been distributed.
ims
The CTC develops or authorizes the release of software syste,
to assist in the development of various programs and strategies.
FY91 FY92 FY93
The CTC's publications distribution program continues to grow.
Future Plans
During the last 3 years, requests for CTC technical
assistance, guidance, and services have increased dra-
matically. The CTC has expanded its capability to respond
to assistance requests through the addition of s aff and
electronic aids for dissemination of technical information
It is also incorporating pollution prevention ,nformationby
electronically affiliating with pollution prevention technol-
ogy centers and other government centers. Finally^ub-
jectto available resources, the CTC is planning to expand
its technology evaluation capability to an even broader
range of pollution control options.
For additional information on the CTC and its programs
contact:
Charles H. Darvin
U S Environmental Protection Agency
Air and Energy Engineering Research Laboratory
Research Triangle Park, NC 27711
Phone: (919) 541-7633, Fax: (919)541-0361
Robert J. Blaszczak
U S Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards
Research Triangle Park, NC 27711
Phone: (919) 541-5432, Fax: (919) 541-0242
CTC Publications
Since CTC's formation, requests for CTC documents
have continued to grow, as demonstrated in the following
chart. More than 17,270 CTC documents have been dis-
tributed since 1991.
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